Guess What!!

Chicken Butt!

...No really

It was Aunt Andra's Birthday!!! And boy was it fun. We all had a great night with lots of laughs!At first we got our locations all backwards. Donald and I were down in Mission Valley and Andra and Kevin had gone all the way to RB to meet up at Islands. But in the end we were all together! We laughed so hard and had so many fun stories to share, I think others wished they could have joined our table.

We got Andra this really cute card that reminded me of when my nieces were little like Emma. The outside said in big happy letters "Guess What" and the inside had this cute chick and it said "chicken butt" We were all laughing at it and it really brought back being a kid for all of us.

There was another fun party going on at the table next to us and one of the guys was making balloon hats for all his friends and made one of Emma and Andra.

As a special treat for our little girl, Andra and Kevin let Emma sit in the front seat of Kevin's truck. Emma thought that was super cool!

Then is was a happy birthday goodbye to Aunt Andra. We had such a good time!! And can't wait to go out with Kevin and Andra again!

Daddy is Home!!

Surprise For Daddy

While Daddy was in San Fransisco, Emma and I decided to get a surprise for Daddy. When we went to the Wild Animal Park we saw a place where we could make animal art with our hands. So we sat down and did mommy and Emma elephants for Daddy's office at work and then surprised daddy at the airport with our art. He loved it and can't wait to get it up in his office.


As we waited for our art to be completed and matted, we decided to visit the butterflies. And as luck would have it one bright blue butterfly landed on Emma's forehead! The wings on the inside were blue and as you can see from the photo below they were brown on the outside. I was so bummed I didn't have my camera on me (only my iPhone) But the pictures are still super cute!!


After it was on Emma's head for 5 minutes and everyone got loads of great pictures of my little girl, it then moved to my iPhone for another 5 minutes. Finally this really nice lady helped me gently move the butterfly to a big green leaf so Emma and I could move on.

Story Time

Emma and I have only done public story time twice. I have never been very impressed and I do a way better job reading then any of the people we have seen so far, so we usually don't go. I have been asked by other moms to attend different story times and have declined every time. I just don't see a point to running out or interrupting what we are already doing for a 2 to 5 minute book that is read to us poorly. On Tuesday I had to run some errands in Carmel Mt Ranch which took my next to the Borders. I decided to take Emma in to look for some new books. They were getting ready for story time and a huge crowd was gathering so I thought we could sit in the back and leave if it was bad. I talked to a few moms and nannies and they said this is worth it. One mom had come with her kids from Carlsbad, a nanny had brought the kids she watches from Escondido. And everyone said we would love it, that they had all been coming any where from a few months to 4 years! And the same lady has been doing it the whole time.
I was shocked when the lady who did the story time said that it was a small crowd. This was the biggest I had ever seen. She started out singing happy birthday to each child celebrating a birthday. Then a fun song with fun motions and counting. Then a story followed by more songs and dancing and more stories and more songs and dancing. This went on for over a half hour!
She ended the fun time with a bubble machine and the kids ran and popped bubbles and played. It was amazing. Emma and I will definitely make time for this again. And any one reading this. Come by with your little one every week on Tuesday and Friday at 10:30 am and for kids that can sit through a bit longer story go on Wednesdays at 10:30 you will have a blast!
As you can see Emma loved it and so did all the little people!

I'm A Little Peanut

As some of my readers may already know, I use to be a buyer for the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. I got the joy of purchasing books, stationary, high end fine gifts and garden for the gift shops. It was a fun career and a wonderful time. I made friendships that will last a life time. As a sort of tribute to the wonderful ladies I got to work with.. I post this blog. I was the youngest buyer in the group of amazing ladies. They were incredible mentors and remain so to this day. Their advice, leadership and style have heavily influence who I am today. It is such a joy to walk into any of the gift shops at the Zoo or Wild Animal Park and now purchase items they have picked out for my little Emma. We have a great assortment of books, clothing, toys, and jewelry thanks to their efforts. And it so easy to buy from the Zoo knowing how my purchase affects wildlife globally.
This t-shirt is just one of the amazingly cute items you will find for purchase for your little one. I currently think I am single handily trying to pull San Diego tourism out of a recession by purchasing from the Zoo on a weekly basis. But what better way to spend my money and my time for Emma. She deserves it and so do the animals and plants we are, in our own way helping to save. Just doing my part of being "green" or "earth" conscience. And supporting a cause I believe in.



To my Friends at the Zoo...Thank you for doing an amazing job as always!!!

Daddy's In San Fransisco

On Monday we took Daddy to work, with a stop off at our favorite Starbucks in Little Italy for breakfast. And good thing we did! We ran into Auntie Andra and got to share a bit of our morning with her. Then Emma and I headed to the Children's Museum Downtown just a few blocks away to have some fun before taking Daddy to the Airport at noon. We had thought originally that we would go to San Fransisco with Donald, but we just couldn't get it all worked out in time. While at the Children's Museum we wrote Daddy a special message on the black board (see above) and then I e-mailed the picture to him on his blackberry and iPhone just before he loaded the plane.
Emma really loves this museum and asks to go all the time! This was only our second time and we did all kinds of new things. We built sculptures, blew bubbles, played in the rain house and made trees out of logs.

Emma loved the bubbles best this time and it was really hard to drag her away. But finally I realized that there was more soap on her dress then in the dish I knew it was time to go.
I got this super cute dress at Nordstrom on the day she did her fashion show. I just couldn't pass it up and I am so glad I got it, she looks amazing in it.


After we dropped Daddy off at the airport it was time to go home and read and take a nap. When Emma got up and it was time for a wardrobe change. It has been so freaky hot lately (high 90's) that I am pulling out all her cute summer clothes. This outfit below is from our friends in England who pick this up for Emma the last time they were in Spain. It is so cute!!! And again Emma looks so great in it.

A Bit of Fun

Okay, more like a bit of trouble mixed with danger followed by a bit of fun. On Saturday, Donald needed to get a new tux shirt as we think his is packed away in storage. He needed it for a big dinner for work in San Fransisco where he needed to wear his tux. So off we went to run our errands which first landed us at the bank, which is where Emma thinks you go to color, but when she found out we were only going to be there for a few moments started to cry. So like a good mommy I told her we would buy her a new coloring book and crayons after we got Daddy his shirt. Which landed us down at the Toys R Us in Mission Bay area. Daddy and Emma spotted the cars and convinced me to take photos of their craziness. I thought for sure someone was going to come up and kick us out of the toy store. But we snuck out with our purchase of crayons and coloring book and a load of cute stickers before anyone caught us on camera.

Since we were in the Mission Bay area we got some Jamba Juice and a Subway sandwich and headed to the bay for a make shift picnic. Emma was thrilled and excitedly told us we were eating alfresco! My little girl is so clever!

Of course we had to go and swing and do some fun slides before heading home for a much needed nap.

Ridding the Bus at the Zoo

Emma loves buses, trolleys, trains, big trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, helicopters and boats. I'm starting to think it's a kid thing. So when I asked her the other day if she wanted to ride the bus at the Zoo she got so excited. We ended up in line behind a big school group so we opted to sit on the bottom level so we wouldn't have to wait 45 minutes in line.
She thought this was great fun. She made friends with the two preteen kids behind us. They laughed all the way.
Emma also enjoyed spotting all the animals once she realized that this wasn't just a ride but also a tour.

Emma's favorite swing.  Can you blame her with a view like this?

Emma takes Suzanne for a ride

We decided to stop by Toys R Us to get Suzanne a new coloring and sticker book.  Sometimes she allows Emma to help, so it can be fun time for both of them.  When we were leaving, my little girl REALLY wanted to go for a ride on the toy car, so I ran out to the real car, got some quarters and after she climbed in and helped Emma get situated, off they went for a drive.  Notice the death grip Suzanne has on that wheel?  She's like that when I'm driving too...

Easter Gifts

I know this is a bit late, but it took a little while to find a computer that would read the memory card I have for my Blackberry (the phone I used to take the video).  Here is Emma opening up her Easter Presents.

Happy Easter

Emma and Daddy running up to the house after we got home from church (we went to the 7:30 Mass hoping to avoid a crowd but that didn't happen) and Starbucks. We told Emma that there might be some Easter surprises at home and that got her going after an early start to the day.


We were right!! Like magic the Easter Bunny found some special gifts hidden away in Grandma and Grandpa's house and put them all together for Emma to find when she got home from church. There was a picnic table, a wheel barrow, books, WOW toys, lots of clothes and stuff for the sand box.


Emma was over the moon with her new McDuff, Wini the Pooh, and Where's My Cow books.

Daddy reading "Where's My Cow" by Terry Pratchett and Emma loving every minute!!


Holding up her new Daily Tea dress that mommy picked out.

Daddy getting some morning cuddles and reading the new McDuff book while we waited for Aunt Andra and Uncle Kevin to stop by.


Aunt Andra just loves her little Emma. Andra and Kevin got their snuggle time in and then we were all off to the Wild Animal Park.


Waiting our turn to go up in the Hot Air Balloon. We all decided to go up, even me who just happens to be terrified of heights agreed to go. I did quite well and didn't do to bad taking pictures either.

Everyone getting in a great view of the park. It took me a while to look out or down, it was much easier to focus on them.



Donald got proof that I went up, but it was hard for him to get a picture of me that didn't look like I was absolutely terrified. I still have a forced smile, but I did it!!

Donald took loads of picture out into the park as well as straight down these are just a few.


We went and had lunch in the Heart of Africa and then went down to the research station to feed the ducks....but we ended up feeding the catfish instead. I had no idea that there were catfish at the Wild Animal Park. And they are quite fierce when it comes to duck food. We watched them bite the ducks to keep the food to themselves. I offered some food to Kevin to take with him the next time he goes fishing. thought it might help lour the fish his way.


Emma looking out at the colobus monkeys and singing a happy tune the whole time. You can see the balloon we rode just above her head.


Emma watching Daddy show off his muscles.


Aunt Andra, Emma and I all having a laugh.



Finishing up the afternoon with a ride on an Okapi with help from Aunt Andra and Daddy.

We took Emma home for a much needed nap and then went to dinner at Islands and then over to Dairy Queen for parfaits. We had a wonderful Happy Easter!